Mr. Chair, thank you for the opportunity to speak this evening about the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces. Tonight I would like to discuss how our government is caring for our women and men in uniform.
The main estimates presented today represent funding that will directly support the people of our Canadian Armed Forces. Supporting them is the number one priority of the Minister of National Defence, and it is shared by all members of this government. Every single defence activity we undertake comes back to this important objective, because we know that when the women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces are well cared for, properly equipped and fully supported, our country is better defended, our values are upheld and Canadians are more secure. With our full support, they can answer the call of duty any time, anywhere.
Recently, when natural disasters unexpectedly placed so many of our communities in distress, we saw just how quickly and efficiently our Canadian Armed Forces members can provide aid. They are also key in defending our values around the globe, contributing to missions in Latvia, Iraq, Ukraine and Mali.
Long before the First World War, members of our military stepped up to defend our nation with courage and honour. Time and time again, they answered the call and defended our people and our way of life. We relied on them in times of great conflict in the past, and we will do so just as much in the future. We must ensure that they are well taken care of today so that they can face tomorrow's challenges.
Caring for our people is at the very core of Canada's defence policy: strong, secure and engaged. This is not rhetoric. In the two years since we launched this policy, concrete action is improving care and support for military members and their families.
We recognize that the complexities of military life affect the entire family, not just the member. We know that military family members are the strength behind the uniform. That is why our government is offering enhanced tax relief for our women and men in uniform deployed on international operations. We have done this to show appreciation for their efforts and to ease some of the stress for them and their families.
It is also why we are delivering $6 million in new annual funding for the military family resource centres and why we have implemented virtual counselling services for families and deployed staff overseas to provide support wherever and whenever it is needed.
The defence team has begun important work on the seamless Canada initiative. This program brings together federal, provincial and private sector agencies and organizations to stabilize life for military families, which are frequently required to move. It is about easing the burden every time we post a member of our military to a different wing or base around the country, often in a different province or territory. I am pleased to say that as a result of the seamless Canada initiative, a number of our pilot projects are under way in different provinces.
Moving from province to province can also mean a change or loss of employment for many military spouses. Therefore, this past fall, we announced the military spousal employment network. This network of over a dozen national employers in the private and public sectors has made local or virtual employment opportunities available to military spouses. This new network complements National Defence's recently launched military spousal employment initiative, which offers military spouses access to flexible, meaningful employment opportunities with DND on bases and wings. It also provides National Defence hiring managers with a pool of experienced candidates who wish to maintain their skills and continue their careers.
All these new initiatives are easing pressures on military families, but we also know that the unique challenges members and their families face do not always end when they leave the military. Our commitment to their well-being follows them beyond their service.
Our government recognizes the complex challenges of transitioning out of the military. Our defence team is overhauling the transition process to put a stronger focus on retaining our skilled personnel when possible and on all seven domains of well-being that are key to a successful transition to post-military life.
In December, we officially launched the Canadian Armed Forces transition group, which has the important task of improving the transition experience for all Canadian Armed Forces members, veterans and their families and of providing support to our ill or injured members.
The transition group provides professional and personalized support to better meet the needs of our members in the regular and reserve forces. The group will ensure that all Canadian Armed Forces members, veterans and their families receive the full range of supports, compensation and benefits available to them. This is one way the Department of National Defence and Veterans Affairs are closing gaps between the work of both departments.
Our two departments are also working together to implement other initiatives to support the transition of our military members. This past September, we re-introduced the veterans service card, a tangible symbol of a member's service to our country.
We also launched a joint suicide prevention strategy, which recognizes that no single program or service can address this issue alone or eliminate all the risks. Last year, the strategy released the “Canadian Armed Forces Clinician Handbook on Suicide Prevention”. It continues its work to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health.
Furthermore, our defence team is addressing the needs of our women and men in uniform through a total health and wellness approach. The team is making sure that those who need mental, physical or emotional care have access to comprehensive, compassionate and dependable services.
We often ask our women and men in uniform to operate in challenging and dangerous parts of the world, and they do so knowing that they may experience loss or trauma or that they could come home with an invisible injury. We know that operational stress injuries are real. With 26 mental health clinics and seven specialized operational trauma stress support centres located at military bases across the country, we are ensuring that our members have the programs and services in place to help them recover and heal.
Overall, our government is most proud of the women and men of our Canadian Armed Forces. From the day they put on the uniform to the day they take it off, and beyond, the care we offer them shows that we are there for them and their families. Investing in the well-being of our people is the most important commitment we can make. They deserve our care as much as they do our respect, and our defence investments ensure that our government delivers on both.
Time permitting, I would now like to ask a few questions of the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence.
Unlike the Conservatives, who cut billions from defence, we are providing the women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces with the equipment they need to keep Canadians safe and with the support they deserve. Can the parliamentary secretary tell this House how the women and men of our Canadian Armed Forces are at the core of everything we do?